Dedication, no date (1569), Gerhard Dorn to Egenolf von Rappoltstein (BP112)

From Theatrum Paracelsicum
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Author: Gerhard Dorn
Recipient: Egenolf von Rappoltstein
Type: Dedication
Date: no date [1569]
Pages: 8
Language: Latin
Quote as: https://www.theatrum-paracelsicum.com/index.php?curid=1971
Editor: Edited by Julian Paulus
Source:
Paracelsus, Chirurgia vulnerum, ocultorum & manifestorum Vlcerum, &c., ed. Gerhard Dorn, Basel: Pietro Perna 1569, sig. )(2r–)(5v [BP112]
CP: Not in Kühlmann/Telle, Corpus Paracelsisticum
Abstract: The author translated the surgery of Theophrastus Paracelsus from German into Latin and dedicated it to a noble who promotes the arts. Many learned men in France asked the author to translate more of Paracelsus's works so that they could share in the knowledge. However, some people criticized the author for his translation, and others threatened him, but he continued his work for the future glory and honor of Germany. The author also criticized those who published Paracelsus's works under their own names or kept them hidden for their own profit. The author urged the noble to protect the writings of Paracelsus and his translation so that the truth may emerge in medicine. (generated by Chat-GPT)
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[sig. )(2r] Generosissimo svmmeqve nobili D[omino] Egenolpho, Domino in Rapoltzstein, Hohenack, & Geroltzeck ad Vuassichin, &c. Salus.

Quum doctißimi viri Medici D[omini] Theophrasti Paracelsi Chirurgiam à Germanico in Latinum sermonem vertissem: animaduerti plurimos eorum qui nihil intactum relinquere, nec approbare, quod non fecerint ipsi, neque se penes aliquem admittere solent, non fefuturos vt vel minimam occasionem rodendi, vel carpendi saltem quærant, quod lacerare nequibunt. Quamobrem opus protectore mihi fore, maximè putaui. Cumq́ue diu satis animo reuoluissem atque pensitassem, cuínam inter Magnates hosce labores meos (licet exiguos) nuncupare vellem, qui bonas artes opti- [sig. )(2v] mè commendatas haberet. Inter plurimos incidit in mentem excellentißima tua Celsitas, quæ promouendis omnis generis laudabilibus artibus candidè relucet. Hinc etiam factum est, vt confisus de sua maxima benignitate, rudem hanc meam traductionem, at fidelem, sub vmbra suarum alarum in lucem audeam dare. Non sine causa quidem, libros tam excelelntis viri Germani suscepi vertendos. Nam existentem in Gallia me rogarunt plurimi doctißimiq́ue viri, qui iudicium de rebus excellentioribus facere norunt optimum, vt (quia nonnullos antea traduxissem) alios quotquot ad manus meas peruenirent, etiam verterem, quo sua tanti Gallia thesauri foret particeps. Ego quòd viderem exteros hunc hominem ob singularem & inauditam hactenus doctrinam eius extollere, vt etiam Germaniæ decus eum vocarent: & ex ad- [sig. )(3r] uerso considerarem, propriam istius viri tam rari patriam, eum & sapientiam eius contemnere: minus facere quid potui, quàm rogatus etiam deferre quod spretum immeritò cernerem, eò videlicet vbi summo haberetur in pretio, tum amicis in officio tam honesto morem gerere? Nil enim potius optant post Gallos Belgicæ nationes, ac aliæ plurimæ, quàm istius viri scripta legere posse, ac intelligere, quòd trecentos & sexaginta plus minus Germanicos libros in omni scientiarum genere conscripsisset omnes, præter Latinos aliquot. Postquam honestis istis laboribus insudassem aliquandiu, cœperunt eorum nonnulli qui partem eius adhuc tenent, increpare me plurimùm, & post tergus alij minari, quòd priuatum iri se crederent, si lucem in suis regionibus ortam aspicerent aliæ nationes. Verùm, quia rem altius perpendissem, vtpote lau- [sig. )(3v] dem Germaniæ futuram & immortale decus, vbi totius orbis terrarum nouerit eam cæteros inter produxisse virum, qualem antea humanis in artibus vix videre licuit. Minas eorum qui sibi solis bene fore cupiunt, & soli quæstum inde facere nituntur, vix flocci fecerim: & alacri progressus animo, bonum quod ipsi reliquis inuident omnibus, pro viribus meis, non de meo, sed ex Paracelsi thesauris exponam. Si malè tamen eos habeat me traducere, quòd fortè putent rudiori stylo vel nudius quàm ferre valeant hoc fieri, traducant ipsi, modò fideliter, ego manum de tabella retraham. At nisi fidelius id faciant, quàm videmus nonnullos eorum, ad quorum Libri Paracelsici manus peruenerunt, edere Germanica, mutila quæque scilicet prorsumqúe deprauata, retinentes ea sibi quæ nucleum istius doctrinæ continent, [sig. )(4r] & corticem emittentes, ab vtroque potius abstineant. Et nisi Reipublicæ quærant vtilitatem, hosce conatus alijs minimè perturbent. Hæc à me dicta sunt, quòd perceperim aliquos eorum, qui Paracelsicæ doctrinæ profeßionem faciunt, furticiè Libros istius excellentißimi viri, non sub eius, sed sub suo nomine, quod flagitiosum potius quàm sit ambitiosum, edidisse: plerosque alios, qui scripta nondum edita, déque muro, quo Paracelsus ante mortem inopinatam, vel potius acceleratam, conclusa fuerant, post eam eruta cautelosè nimium, & surrepta sic publicare typis, vt omne quod artem apertè nudeq́ue docet, eximant, sibíque seruent: quo post mortem, Gentilium instar, laudem parent, & quæstum in vita plurimum. At faciant quod poßint, opinione vanißima hac frustrabuntur, cum hactenus per Paracelsum [sig. )(4v] adhuc vita fruentem, & per alios probos viros & sinceros, tot extent istius doctrinæ monumenta, quæ sufficiant ad istarum technas vulpium detegendum: etsi (prout inceperunt) ordinem & stylum inertant. Nil siquidem impiè patratum, quod inultum sit, aut maneat occultum. Eius rei patuit exemplar à paucis mensibus euidentißimum, quo quidem inflatus vter (cuius nomini parco) iactans omnia Paracelsi monumenta se habere, necnon intelligere, scholia quædam sordida in aliquot libros ausus est perperam scribere, stulteq́ue magis quàm temerè discipulos Theophrasti Paracelsi, præter æquitatem omnem reprehendere. Quid inde? propriam inscitiam patefecit his, qui vel tantillum ea doctrina sunt imbuti: qui etiam apertißimè scriptis demonstrarunt editis, quòd eos iniustißimè libros foret aggressus. Non aliàs de cæteris [sig. )(5r] futurum est, quos antea dixi plumis aliorum parari superbireq́ue, & alijs qui Reipublicæ, hoc ipsum quod etiam non habent, inuident. Nam reperiuntur multi, qui scripta detinent istius viri, non tamen intelligunt, nec alios intelligere cupiunt. O diabolica quàm humana potius ingenia, quæ iusticiam in iniusticia detinent, præter Authoris mentem atque sententiam. Quandoquidem ipse muro non concluserat, vt ea latere perpetuò cuperet, aut exteris inuideret, imò contrà, vt ad exteros peruenirent, maximè quòd in patria sua non, (prout ipsemet fatetur) sed apud exteros vt peregrinus didicisset. Verùm quòd videret margaritam, quam attulerat, ab eis quibus vt æquum est, fauebat, aspernari, voluit etiam abscondere: cupiens vt ad alicuius probi viri manus peruenirent, qui publicaret iterum eorum filijs, à quibus hauserat, aut [sig. )(5v] alijs quibusuis nationibus. Nec vsque adeò frustatus est opinione sua. Quoniam ab extraneis hoc tempore maximè celebratur, & indies magis, quanto latius eius monumenta traducuntur. Hæc est occasio cur versionis eorum Librorum prouinciam susceperim, etsi meis viribus imparem. Sat mihi fuerit alijsq́ue (præsertim quòd nemo alius id facere curet) si saltem quæ stylo rudi, quanto fidelius potui, traduxi, valeant intelligere. Poterunt ornare qui melius me norunt, vbi iam intellexerint. Istius igitur tam docti viri scriptorum protector fore ne dedigneris, excellentißime generosißimeq́ue Domine, simul & meæ versionis, vt in Medicina tandem prout in alijs emergere valeat ipsa veritas. Fœliciter viue, & in annos plurimos vale.

Excellentißimæ T[uæ] C[elsitudinis]

Seruulus

Gerardus Dorn.


English Raw Translation

Generated by ChatGPT on 18 March 2023. Attention: This translation is a machine translation by artificial intelligence. The translation has not been checked and should not be cited without additional human verification.

To the most generous and noble lord Egenolph, Lord of Rapoltzstein, Hohenack, and Geroltzeck at Vuassichin, etc., greetings.

When I translated the surgery of the very learned doctor Theophrastus Paracelsus from German into Latin, I noticed that many of those who leave nothing untouched and do not approve of anything that they have not done themselves, nor do they allow anyone else to do so, will not fail to seek even the slightest opportunity to criticize or at least find fault with something that they cannot tear apart. Therefore, I thought that it would be helpful to have a patron. After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to dedicate my modest efforts to one of the nobles who would best promote the good arts. Among many, your most excellent Highness came to mind, who shines brightly in promoting all kinds of praiseworthy arts. It was also because of your great kindness that I dared to publish this rough but faithful translation under the shadow of your wings. Indeed, there was a reason why I undertook the translation of books by such an excellent German author. Many very learned men in France, who are the best judges of the finest things, asked me to translate as many of his books as possible, including those that I had not yet translated, so that France could share in such a great treasure. When I saw that foreigners were raising this man to great heights because of his unique and hitherto unheard-of knowledge, and that he was being despised in his own country, I could do nothing else but, when asked, to offer what I saw as being unjustly rejected, especially since it was highly valued and it was an honorable thing to do for friends. There is nothing that the French, Belgians, and many other nations desire more than to read and understand this man's writings, knowing that he has written three hundred and sixty German books on all branches of knowledge, except for a few in Latin. After working hard on these honorable tasks for some time, some of those who still hold a grudge against him started to criticize me greatly and others threatened me behind my back, thinking that they would be deprived of their private domain if other nations were to see the light rising from their region. But because I had pondered the matter more deeply, I realized that this would be a future glory and an immortal honor for Germany, where the whole world will know that it produced a man whom few have ever seen in human arts. I have hardly cared about the threats of those who only care about themselves and seek to profit from their work alone, and with a cheerful spirit, I will explain, to the best of my abilities and not for my own benefit, but from the treasures of Paracelsus, the good that they envy in everyone else. If, however, they object to my translation, thinking that it may be too rough or inadequate for their tastes, they may translate it themselves, as long as they do so faithfully, and I will retract my hand from the task. But unless they do so more faithfully than some of those who have already gotten their hands on Paracelsian books and published them under their own names, mutilated and completely distorted, retaining only what they consider to be the essence of his teachings and throwing away the rest, they should refrain from doing so. Unless they seek the common good, they should not disturb these efforts. I am saying this because I have heard that some of those who claim to profess the Paracelsian doctrine have published books of this excellent man under their own names, which is more disgraceful than it is ambitious. Others have carefully extracted and published books that were unpublished during his lifetime, as well as those that were locked away behind the wall in which Paracelsus was unexpectedly and rapidly imprisoned before his death, so that they may keep everything that openly and clearly teaches the art for themselves, and thus gain fame and profit after his death, just like Gentiles. But they will be frustrated by this vain attempt, as there are still many monuments of this doctrine that remain extant, either through Paracelsus himself, who is still alive, or through other honest and sincere men, that are sufficient to reveal the tricks of these foxes, even though they may corrupt the order and style. For nothing that is done impiously will remain unpunished or hidden. This was demonstrated quite clearly a few months ago by a very obvious example, in which a certain arrogant man (whose name I will spare) boasted of having all of Paracelsus's works and of understanding them perfectly, and dared to write some sordid notes in some of his books, foolishly and unfairly criticizing Theophrastus Paracelsus's disciples. What came of it? It exposed his own ignorance to those who have even a little bit of knowledge of this doctrine, and it was clearly demonstrated in published works that he unjustly attacked these books. It will not be any different for the others I mentioned earlier, who are puffed up and envious of what they do not have, seeking to compete with others. For there are many who possess the writings of this man, but do not understand them and do not want others to understand them either. Oh diabolical, rather than human, minds that twist justice into injustice, contrary to the author's intentions and views. Since he did not lock them away behind a wall himself to keep them hidden forever or to envy foreigners, but rather to make them accessible to foreigners, especially since he had learned as a foreigner in his own country what he had to offer. But when he saw that the pearl he had brought was being rejected by those who should have appreciated it, he wanted to hide it as well, hoping that it would reach the hands of some honest man who would publish it again to their children or to any other nation. And he was not so mistaken in his opinion, as it is now being celebrated more and more by foreigners, especially as his works are translated more widely. This is why I took on the task of translating his books, although I am not equal to the task. It is enough for me and for others, especially since no one else cares to do it, that they may understand what I have translated, as faithfully as I could, despite my rough style. Those who know better than me may embellish it when they understand it. Therefore, do not disdain to be the protector of the writings of this learned man, and of my translation as well, so that the truth may finally emerge in medicine, as in other fields. May you live happily and for many years, most excellent and generous Lord.

Yours Excellency,

Your servant

Gerard Dorn